I sold a '57 Ghia to Mr. Madin in February. I listed the car various times with varying amounts and degrees of information including a few photos and a half hour of video where I went around the car showing details of the car, including and especially its faults. I pointed out rust bubbles, paint imperfections, bodywork details, started it, let it idle, drove it around, etc. detailing the sorts of things I would be looking at/for if I were shopping for such a car myself. These details were additionally discussed via phone and email where I also instructed him on the necessity of having the car tuned upon arrival due to my location at altitude (5,400') and his near sea level (400-600 according to an internet search). I emphasized the car was not a show car, just a daily driver. I've purchased cars in the past where sellers have been less than honest, and do not want to be one of those "POs" that's cursed every time something unexpected rears its head.

There were many exchanges of emails (retained for record keeping purposes after things soured along with all photos, videos and copy from the various listings) and a few phone conversations (unfortunately not retained). He contacted me on TS via email through my listing here and later separately via PM on eBay through a separate listing. After some back and forth, a deal was struck, price and delivery details agreed upon, wiring information was given, and the funds were to be wired in the morning since the banks had already closed for the day. The next afternoon, I got an email saying an unexpected bill came up and he would wire the money the following morning. The following morning I got another email saying he was considering buying another car instead and wanted to wait to see how the eBay auction went. I had other inquiries on the car that I needed to respond to, and didn't want to tell them it was sold if it wasn't, but also didn't want to strike a deal and allow someone to buy it out from under him, etc. Shortly after the auction for the other car ended early, he contacted me saying he wanted to go through with the sale and he would wire the money the following morning. He did.

Shipping was eventually arranged by the buyer. Due to no fault of the buyer, I had very little notice (~15 minutes versus the represented 5 days) of the shipper's arrival and neglected to swap out the jets in the carbs and drop the timing back a few degrees so that it would run somewhat on arrival so it could be driven to a shop for a proper tune. I said I would do this, failed to do so, and notified the buyer of the fact.

A week or so later, and I get an email saying the car smells like gas, that it nearly killed the battery trying to get it started, it ran poorly, and it had a horrible exhaust gas smell. None of these issues were present when it left me. My estimation is as follows: The fuel cap is vented, I have no idea how much gas was in the tank when it left (no fuel gauge and I was a little rushed), and it was probably at too much of an angle on the trailer, so my guess is that some leaked out via the vented cap in transit. Something to take up with the shipping company maybe and/or let it air out. The starting/running issues were likely completely due to it not having been tuned for the altitude. I informed him again that he needed to have it tuned for his altitude, that doing so would allow it to start much easier, run more smoothly, and (assuming a proper tune) should get rid of the exhaust smell (likely unburnt gas from being way too lean) and backfiring (from accumulation of said unburnt fuel in the exhaust). I also informed him that running it like that could cause damage and that it should be considered top priority, don't drive it anywhere save directly to the shop, etc.

More time goes by, and I get an email saying he took it to a shop and they told him it the fuel tank leaked and that it needed a new one, the engine needed to be rebuilt, and the exhaust needed to be replaced. None of this was the case when it left my possession. The fuel tank didn't leak, and was not at all rusty inside or out. Worst case scenario, the fuel reserve tap might have started leaking or something, which seems a possibility if he or the shippers really jerked it around trying to figure out what it was or get it to start or something, but even in that case we're talking a $9 rebuild kit, not a whole new fuel tank. As for the engine needing to be rebuilt, I took 30 minutes of video where it was shown idling and driving smoothly, with plenty of power, etc. Same with the exhaust. It's a stock replacement style stainless steel VintageSpeed unit. High quality, nothing fancy, proven, etc. If there was anything wrong with the exhaust, it was likely due to the backfiring from driving it without having it tuned for the altitude. At various points he suggested I should refund him some portion of the selling price for these "faults" that "I had failed to disclose", but at this point he threatened me with negative feedback if I failed to do so to the tune of $1000-$5000 depending on the specific email. I fretted a good deal over this because I value my reputation as a member of the VW community and have always strived to maintain a certain standard of behavior to that effect. I called a level-headed friend in the VW community who would fully understand everything at play and accordingly render good advice, and who was removed from the situation, and the conclusion was to decline in a polite yet succinct manner (I can be a bit verbose... i.e. this post) and monitor my feedback thread.

As a seller:

I've not bought anything from Mr. Madin, so this borders on a conflict with the feedback rules save that it is still technically firsthand experience. The car was relisted for sale shortly after he took possession. The details in the listings were not 100% accurate across the various manifestations. To wit, claiming to have driven the car from Texas to Colorado within the past year (I did a few years ago), only four owners from new (I can list the last four by name, but there were obviously more before that), claiming it was always garage kept (it hadn't been for some periods of time that I owned it, and it was disclosed, photographed, and on video to that effect), etc. Additionally, he claimed that the engine, etc. was great and had no problems despite trying to convince me it needed to be rebuilt (the engine in the photos looks to be the one it had when I sold it). In some incarnations, he neglected to mention the large dent in the front center bumper blade and there is a license plate over said dent in all of the photos. Given the reality of the situation, however, none of this was especially egregious or likely to affect anyone's decision-making or valuation of the vehicle.

I logged on this morning as part of my occasional feedback monitoring from this chain of events, etc. and I check to see if he has sold the car as part of that with the thought being that he might hold off until after the car is sold to avoid the obvious conflicts that would arise from claiming I misled him in the sale of the car while he is still trying to sell it. The other misstatements were certainly not above board, but not such that they would likely cause someone to make a decision they might not have otherwise made; this one is a different can of worms. He claimed that it had never had any body work. This is a misrepresentation that significantly affects the perceived value of the vehicle. The drivers side front fender had been completely replaced past the nose pressing. I can certainly understand not coming right out and saying that in bold on the front page, instead leaving it for a deeper conversation about the details of the car, but the rote misrepresentation warrants note.

There's something to be said for due diligence being the responsibility of the buyer and the nature of antique vehicles, and maybe the pending international buyer has properly done their homework or intends to simply flip it and take advantage of the supply and demand differences between markets. Additionally, I honestly feel it's a more than fair price for the car in question and I hope the pending buyer (should the transaction be completed) is truly happy with the car. Maybe I'm overreacting. However I feel a misrepresentation of that magnitude warrants a warning to anyone who might be considering buying this, or potentially future parts or vehicles from Mr. Madin. I would be looking for exactly this sort of information if I were doing my due diligence, and maybe I should have said something sooner. I flagged the ad/contacted Everett when I saw it, and he took the ad down and advised me to leave feedback._________________Jason Hopper

-'58 German Market Deluxe Beetle (in progress)
-'84 M1009 CUCV
-'81 K10
"Buy the best, cry once." -Gene Berg
"A cheap man will always buy the cheapest thing available, and then buys another one hoping for a better result, and then spends the rest of his life in misery complaining about it. A thrifty man will buy a good part once and never think about it again." -RockCrusher
"Don't feed the Shitty Parts Monster!" -Me

I too have had trouble from Mr. Madin. Although I read the negative feedback about him, I decided to go ahead with selling to him. He bought an 87 joker from me in June which I kindly delivered from Vancouver island to his home in Washington as he stated he was unable to pick it up or have it shipped from Canada. I recommended he have someone check it out for him before he purchased, since he was unable to come and see it himself. He declined to do that and made the purchase. When I arrived at his home I showed him that everything worked on the van, took it for a drive, and left on good terms. Everything was fine for a few days. He has now accused me of misrepresenting the vehicle, stating it needed excessive repairs for rust and a total rebuild of the engine, according to his mechanic. He has demanded refunds of differing amounts, including a full refund, and then stated it was not imported correctly and demanded I come and retrieve it. I did everything I was advised on my end. It is the buyers responsibility to check out what they are buying before they buy it, and check on the import rules of their country. He is harassing me by email, and on this site. I don't recommend anyone get involved in a deal with this user.

reply by me on the joker .when I got the Joker I saw it had rusted seams a rust coming up on back panels. it smoked very bad wen cold and burning oil. she did not tell me about them tell after I had paid for it. she should have told me before I sent her money. I trusted her a got it sight unseen

feel I need to address the feedback Jason gave me I got the ghia from Jason Hopper had it shipped by a professional shipping company. when I got it it had to be pushed off the truck because it would not start. it took about 10 min. to start up everytime I started it. it had a bad smell of fresh gas and exhaust ran bad tell it was warmed up. first Jason said they had to problems like that when he had it. and said it was because of the higher altitude and backfiring. the first opinion was the engine was shot. but found out it was just the bad carbuater and needed exhaust repair. and the tank ended up not being rusted out but needed new cap seal. Jason said the first owner was from Germany with the VW Employ program then a service man from Hawaii who did the restoration. then his dad and him owned it and I was thinking I was the 4th owner Jason is saying there where more owners I did not know that. I allways keep it in the garage when I owned it . in no way did I misrepresent the car. I said the replaced panel was from 1957 and that is what Jason told me not that they where all original. new owner knew about the dent in the front bumper. I had a professional evaluator come out to look at the car for the new owner so the new owner knew everything about the car. he did a guage test to find out the thickness of the metal it was really thin in a lot of spots he said it was very rusty at one time he could tell by the thickness of the metal it was thick in some spots and thin out in other spots. Jason said it only had 2 small rust bubbles. it was missing the front vin tag Jason said they forgot to put it on when painted but found out it was because the whole nose was replaced . Jason was looking at a old add I did not sell it on samba I sold it on E-bay I took a 25% loss when I sold it. I still stand by my feedback To Jason that he is a great seller and would buy from him again. there was some problems but I am a very picky buyer do not blame Jason there was some misunderstandings and Jason may have not known about some of the problems I have sold over 50 things on samba mainly split window bus and barndoor part and a few vanagon parts never had a complaint all very happy with the sell. I have been into vw's for 30 years with a great reputation